The Encirclement

Aloft Tianjing Peak. Watching the Tianshang Battle Hall brazenly surround their mountain in plain view of everyone in the Heavenly Dao Sect, members of the Jing family—from their Void Shattering Supreme Elder, Jing Yuntian, down to ordinary Golden Cores who had only just qualified to reside on Tianjing Peak—were infuriated beyond measure. An unprecedented sense of humiliation welled in their chests. Since when was the Jing family, guarded by a Supreme Elder, subjected to such bullying?! To say nothing of Jing Yuntian, even Jing Zhengyang, a mighty Void Refining expert, soared into the air in a towering rage and bellowed at the advancing Tianshang Battle Hall, "Yaoguang, do you intend to rebel?! How dare you make a move against a Supreme Elder right here inside the Heavenly Dao Sect?!" "Rebel? In my eyes, you of the Jing family are the ones rebelling!" Yaoguang appeared on the warship's deck, looking down upon the Jing family's primary peak and the thousands of li of mountains and rivers surrounding it. He swept his gaze across the Void Piercing and Void Refining cultivators of the Heavenly Dao Sect who had gathered in the distance to watch, then called out clearly, "Since you are all here, bear witness!" He produced a shadow-recording stone. "Several decades ago, demonic cultivators from the Shadow Moon Sect invaded our Southern Domain's provincial capital, Nandu, en masse. Throughout that entire event, not one of the Southern Domain's warning systems detected anything, nor did anyone sound an alarm. I need not say more; you can all deduce that someone was secretly colluding with the Shadow Moon Sect's demonic cultivators. According to the evidence I have obtained... the ones colluding with those demons were none other than the Jing family." Yaoguang's divine sense reverberated throughout the Heavenly Dao Sect. At the same time, he activated the shadow-recording stone in his hand, and the projection within immediately emerged. It was the footage of the Jing family head negotiating cooperation with True Monarch Crimson Fiend back then. As the images played out, not only did Jing Zhengyang's expression change drastically, but even Jing Yuntian, who had been disturbed and was quietly observing the situation, darkened in countenance. The onlookers in the distance erupted in an uproar. "This... this was recorded from right up close! It's as if someone knew beforehand that the Jing family would cooperate with the Shadow Moon Sect and prepared a shadow-recording stone nearby in advance, just waiting for them to take the bait!" "Jing Zhengyang is a Void Refining expert, yet someone recorded this footage with a shadow-recording stone from such a short distance without him noticing at all? While discussing such secretive matters, didn't he set up formations in advance to seal off the area?" "Had he sealed it off too tightly, the demonic cultivators might not have dared come to negotiate with him. Besides... is it possible that Sect Master Yaoguang's methods are so profound that he remained entirely undetected even while lurking right beside Jing Zhengyang?" "The evidence is conclusive! This is truly ironclad proof! With this, everyone from the Jing family in Nandu is practically nailed to the wall! Even their family head, the Void Refining Jing Zhengyang, can hardly escape! An action like this... completely tears off all pretense with Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian!" The Heavenly Dao Sect was, after all, a sect. Even though Void Piercing elders occasionally slew their own true disciples in secret, and blood feuds between elders and peak masters frequently reached life-or-death struggles... Those conflicts could never be brought to light. Once one side presented conclusive evidence... Well, conclusive evidence might not carry absolute power, as fair and impartial enforcement still depended on who was involved, but it undeniably seized the moral high ground. And right now... Having produced this shadow-recording stone, Yaoguang stood justified and firmly on the side of righteousness. In an instant, all eyes turned to the head of the Jing family, Jing Zhengyang. And... Toward the supreme anchor resting deep within Tianjing Peak—Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian! At this moment, Jing Zhengyang was trembling all over in terror from the shadow-recording stone Yaoguang had produced, his eyes filled with dread. He knew very well what it meant once such evidence was dragged out into the open. Right then, Jing Yuntian's divine sense, thick with suppressed rage, jolted through Jing Zhengyang's mind: "Jing Zhengyang! Look at the mess you've made!" "Ancestor..." Before he could finish, Jing Yuntian snapped, "You did not do this. Under no circumstances may you admit it! This is Yaoguang slandering you! Do you hear me?!" "I hear you!" Jing Zhengyang shuddered, snapping out of his terror. Indeed, even under pain of death, he could not admit to it. Not even with conclusive evidence! With that thought, Jing Zhengyang unleashed his divine sense and bellowed furiously, "If you want to frame someone, you can always find an excuse! Who knows if you forged this shadow-recording stone?! I, Jing Zhengyang, conduct myself with honor, and the Jing family is a house of loyal martyrs! My uncle died gloriously while putting down Song Wuque's rebellion in the Southern Domain and was honored as an exemplar of the Heavenly Dao Sect! How can you, Yaoguang, slander us so casually?!" "The evidence is ironclad; denial will not save you!" Yaoguang produced another shadow-recording stone. "I not only have evidence of you plotting with True Monarch Crimson Fiend to sabotage the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation, but I also possess evidence of members of your Jing family attempting a breakthrough to the Deep Blue Golden Core realm right when Eight Desolations Demon Lord and Dark Demon Lord of the Shadow Moon Sect invaded Nandu! That perfectly aligns with the terms negotiated during your collusion with those demonic cultivators! With ironclad proof, do you still wish to deny it?" "All of this is a farce you directed and performed yourself! As for members of my Jing family breaking through at that moment... who knows if they were spies you planted in our clan, lurking diligently just waiting for this day! Furthermore, Nandu was never breached! That alone is the greatest proof that your words are nothing but slander!" Jing Zhengyang refused to confess to the death. "According to your logic, Nandu must fall and the living souls of the Southern Domain must be slaughtered before your collusion with the Shadow Moon Sect can be proven?" Yaoguang let out a soft chuckle. "Do not try to deceive me with such rhetoric! You fabricated this deliberately to frame us, and our Jing family will never accept such slander! Besides, you are merely a deputy sect master; what right do you have to point fingers before an ancestral clan backed by a Supreme Elder like ours? Unless the Supreme Elder Council convened by the Sect Master personally declares us guilty, our Jing family rejects any and all accusations from you, Yaoguang! You lack the authority!" Jing Zhengyang grew more articulate as he went on. As long as they denied it to the end, what could Yaoguang possibly do to them, given the relationship between their Supreme Elder and Sect Master Zong? The sect rules and regulations of the Heavenly Dao Sect? A joke! As long as they were not inscribed in the Golden Book of the Great Dao, those rules were created merely to protect their interests; why would they ever need to abide by them? Unfortunately... Yaoguang no longer had any interest in debating right and wrong with him. The essence of justice had never been about judging right and wrong, but about possessing the power to enforce it. "As disciples of our Heavenly Dao Sect and direct descendants of Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian, you dared collude with demonic cultivators of the Shadow Moon Sect to ambush and assassinate a Heavenly Dao Sect sect master, thoughtlessly condemning Nandu and the billions of cultivators in the Southern Domain to death. Your sins are too heinous to record! Now that the evidence is conclusive, I, as a sect master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, shall bring you all to justice and punish you severely, letting the world know the price of colluding with demons to frame our own cultivators." Yaoguang's divine sense echoed across the void. At the same time, he waved his hand toward Qi Sha. "Pass down my command: take every member of the Jing family into custody. Investigate thoroughly to uncover who was involved in the collusion with the demonic cultivators. During this process, if any of the Jing family resist..." His command followed without the slightest pause: "Kill them without exception!" "Understood!" Qi Sha barked an acknowledgment, unsheathing the Annihilation Sword as the power of destruction surged around him. Leading the Tianshang Battle Hall, he plunged straight toward Tianjing Peak. "Yaoguang, you insolent dog!" Jing Zhengyang roared in fury as well. "Yaoguang disregards the law and frames the loyal! Striking against the lineage of a Supreme Elder inside the Heavenly Dao Sect is no different from treason! All members of the Jing family, hear my command: capture Yaoguang and bring him to justice, to be dealt with upon the Sect Master's return!" "Understood!" The Jing family members shouted back fiercely. Void Piercing elders, Battle Immortals, and Golden Cores soared into the air in unison, instantly colliding with Qi Sha and the numerous experts brought by Yaoguang. Battle erupted in an instant. "It has begun." "They're truly fighting." "Alas, isn't this only natural? If a deputy sect master wants to rise to power, how can he convince the masses without displaying his strength and killing the chicken to scare the monkeys? It's just that this time, Sect Master Yaoguang picked a tough bone to chew on, actually moving against the Jing family, who has Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian as their backing..." The spectating Void Piercing and Void Refining cultivators buzzed with discussion, many feeling a touch of regret. Among them, Void Piercing elders such as Jin Yuliu, Tongming, and Tushan were also watching from the sidelines. Looking at the figure slowly ascending above the warship, their expressions were complicated. None of them had ever imagined that in less than a hundred years, the disciple they had once 'suppressed' and 'hunted' would grow to such heights. Not only had he attained the Void Shattering realm, but he was now leading his forces to strike directly against the Jing family of a Supreme Elder, using this to intimidate Sect Master Zong Wenxian and mount a direct challenge to his seat. Truly... A short absence had brought about an earth-shattering transformation. ... "Jing Yuntian." Above the fleet, Yaoguang had already risen into the air. He glanced over the clashing forces. Having mastered the Dao of Destruction and wielding the Annihilation Sword—a Dao artifact that matched his natal Dao art to perfection—Qi Sha possessed combat strength on par with a peak Void Refining expert on his own. With Peak Masters Qin Shiyue and Chu Gushan joining the fray as well... The Jing family had no hope of withstanding the forces of the Southern Domain. Yet he understood clearly that the primary target in this display was Supreme Elder Jing Yuntian. The rest... Including Jing Zhengyang, were merely insignificant small fry unworthy of mention. He fixed his gaze straight into the depths of Tianjing Peak. "Come! Let me see just how many benefits Zong Wenxian gave you to make you risk your life for him and stand against me!" Deep within Tianjing Peak, Jing Yuntian—who had been somewhat reluctant to step onto the field and confront Yaoguang in person—remained silent for a moment before slowly ascending into the sky. He could sense that Gu Li had been intercepted by Chiyun. As for Zhen Xuanyuan... Though persuaded by the Sect Master, he was still disinclined to step into the fray against another Void Shattering expert for Jing Yuntian's sake. Even... Supreme Elder Gu Li, who was currently held back, might well have intended for him to serve as the vanguard to test Yaoguang's mettle. It could not be helped; he had been targeted by Yaoguang because of the Southern Domain's interests. However... "You want to use me to establish your authority?" Jing Yuntian transmitted his divine sense. "Yaoguang, I must say, you picked the wrong target!" Suspended in the void, he looked at Yaoguang. "Perhaps back when you displayed such prowess with the aid of the Heavenly Capital Dragon-Slashing Formation, you possessed combat power comparable to Void Shattering, and now that you have attained Void Shattering, your strength has risen another step. But if you think that is enough to suppress me, you are sorely mistaken." "It seems... you think a bit too highly of yourself," Yaoguang said, and a beam of golden sword light surged straight into the clouds. "Withstand three of my sword strikes. If you do not die, I will spare your life!" The next instant, the golden sword light rippled through space like a swimming dragon, condensing in a flash into a blade that tore through the void as it cleaved down toward Jing Yuntian.